Beneath Qian Wendao's wisecracks lay an irrefutable truth.
Winning big with little, defeating the strong as the weak-it sounded unbelievable, but there was no great mystery to it.
When the total size of the pie stayed the same, the weak could only wait for the strong to make mistakes if they wanted to grow stronger and seize a share from them.
The Wang Mining Company had made a mistake, so the other three had gained a greater say.
The Three Major Merchants' Associations had made a mistake, so the Zhao Merchants' Association had risen above the rest.
Ander had made a mistake, so Qin Siyang had grown into what he was today.
If the strong never made mistakes, the weak would remain weak forever.
Every shift in the situation, every choice at a crossroads, was both a challenge for the weak and a test for the strong.
"Actually, Ander has made plenty of mistakes over the years, but Zone 1 has still done pretty well. Ultimately, after he made those mistakes, no one could quickly tear open a breach and build on their gains. His strength allows him to make mistakes-even to keep making them-and there isn't much we can do about it."
"But then you came along."
"To be honest, Ander hasn't made any major moves over the past year or so. It's been one of those rare stretches when he hasn't made mistakes. Yet simply because he failed to notice you, you managed to grow into what you are today. Just as Qi Tian said, you've taken control of the Safe Zone's tempo."
"Come to think of it, Ander really has had rotten luck."
But Qin Siyang said, "Old Qian, I'm at origin sequence level five now, and so are you. With Olof as well, do the three